“Workplace stress: it all comes down to six areas of worklife that need
to be in balance,” says Dr. Michael Leiter, recently appointed Canada Research
Chair, who studies workplace stress at Acadia University. These six areas
include workload, sense of community, control, reward, values and fairness.

Statistics Canada has calculated the cost of work time lost to stress at
$12 billion a year. This loss is in terms of absenteeism, lost productivity,
poor customer service and escalating short and long-term disability claims.
The good news is that management can take preventative measures to ensure
a healthy work environment.

Leiter, director of the Centre for Organizational Research and Development
(COR&D) at Acadia University, says that there are things that management can
do to help reduce stress in the workplace. In his book co-authored with Christina
Maslach, The Truth About Burnout, he identifies six areas of worklife
that need to be in balance in order to help avoid workplace stress and build
engagement with work. These factors have been combined to create the Areas
of Worklife Survey.

Workload - The amount of work to be done in a given time. A manageable
workload provides the opportunity to do what one enjoys, to pursue career
objectives, and to develop professionally. A crisis in workload is not a
matter of simply stretching to meet a new challenge, but of going beyond
human limits.

Community - The quality of an organization's social environment.
People thrive in communities characterized by support, collaboration, and
positive feelings. Mismatches occur when there is no sense of positive connection
with others at work.

Control - The opportunity to make choices and decisions, to solve
problems, and to contribute to the fulfilment of responsibilities. A good
match occurs when there is a correspondence between control and accountability.
A mismatch occurs when people lack sufficient control to fulfil the responsibilities
for which they are accountable.

Reward – Recognition - financial and social - for contributions
on the job. A meaningful reward system acknowledges contributions to work
and provides clear indications of what the organization values. People experience
a lack of recognition as devaluing their work and themselves.

Values - Values are what is important to the organization and
to its members. When organizational and personal values are congruent, successes
are shared. Mismatches occur when differences exist between an organization's
values and the values of its staff, or if the organization does not practice
its stated values.

Fairness - The extent to which the organization has consistent
and equitable rules for everyone. An important element is the extent to
which resources are allocated according to generally understood and consistent
procedures. Fairness communicates respect for the members of an organization's
community. A lack of fairness indicates confusion in an organization's values
and in its relationships with people.

When one of these areas is unbalanced, the organization must first determine
where the mismatches lie. By conducting surveys, like the ones that Leiter
at COR&D specializes in, organizations can determine which areas of worklife
need to be changed to have the greatest potential for significantly enhancing
engagement with work and reducing workplace stress. Based on this information,
a project for change can be established. This project can target one or more
of the mismatches found.

The first step towards change needs to be taken by management. “Management
cannot directly change an employee’s sense of fairness or endow that individual
with a sense of control,” writes Leiter in The Truth About Burnout.
“However, management can develop practices – such as supervision skills or
safety procedures – that affect the employee’s sense of fairness and control.”

To maximize engagement and prevent burnout, the whole organization must
be involved in the intervention project, not just management. According to
The Truth About Burnout, “in order for the intervention to be ultimately
successful, the larger organization has to buy into it.” All levels of the
organization must be committed to making changes. Employees also need to believe
that the project really will have an effect on organizational policy. In addition,
all employees, regardless of job title or department, need to see how the
intervention project is relevant to what they do at work. If they have input,
they will be more willing to help implement the project.

One organization in particular was able to successfully implement a project
for change. After employees completed the Staff Survey provided by COR&D at
Acadia University, it was easy to determine where the mismatches were and
what changes needed to be made. In the case of this organization, mismatches
were related to fairness, values, and control.

Within this organization, several changes were made with regard to safety.
It came out in the survey that employees felt that management did not value
safety as a priority. It then became a requirement for supervisors to attend
all safety meetings, and they were instructed to take all safety concerns
seriously. Besides safety concerns, in the Staff Survey, employees complained
that they felt that their manager did not reflect the values of the organization,
as he was disrespectful, rude, and untrustworthy. As a result, the manager
was replaced.

Two years later, the organization did a follow-up survey to compare results.
Definite improvements were made, and fewer mismatches were found. This can
be attributed to the fact that the entire organization was involved. Employees
felt that their input was valuable and that their concerns were being met.

Implementing a project for change has not only immediate effects, but also
long-term benefits. It is important to realize that these changes take time,
but it is well worth the time, cost and effort.